Coalition claws back some support in latest Newspoll

Fewer than one in three of Australians approve of the performance of Prime Minister Tony Abbott (right), seen here with US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel on his visit to Washington last week. Photo: AFP

This is the level of support Labor had in the week before the release of the May budget, and represents a 6.5 percentage point swing against the government since the September election.

The results show that the initial anger over the budget, when Labor recorded polling numbers not seen in more than three years, has subsided, but voters remain unsatisfied with the government.

Treasurer Joe Hockey’s muscular defence of his budget last week as one that rewards “the lifters” and discourages “the leaners” has failed to move an electorate still unhappy about key budget measures including the Medicare co-payment.

Voters are also unimpressed with the leaders of the two parties.

The majority of voters, 61 per cent (up two points), remain dissatisfied with the performance of Prime Minister Tony Abbott, while 30 (down three points) are satisfied.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten also has more voters dissatisfied with his performance, 45 per cent (up two points), than satisfied, 34 per cent (down four points).

Mr Shorten remains the preferred prime minister by 40 per cent of voters (down five points) compared with Mr Abbott with 37 per cent (up two points).

The Newspoll also found the Coalition’s primary vote was up one point to 37 per cent, while Labor slipped one point to 36 per cent.

Support for the Greens is at 10 per cent (down two points), while support for the Palmer United Party (PUP) is at 3 per cent.

Overall support for independents, including PUP, is at a record 17 per cent.

A Roy Morgan poll released on Monday also showed the Coalition shoring up support slightly. The poll, which has consistently favoured Labor over the Coalition since March, found support for Labor down one to 54.5 per cent, while the Coalition was up one to 45.5 per cent on a two-party preferred basis from the previous Roy Morgan poll two weeks ago.

The poll had Labor ahead at 38 per cent (no change) to the Coalition’s 36.5 per cent (up 1.5 points) in the primary polling.

This increase in the Coalition’s primary vote came from the Palmer United Party, down two points to 5.5, and other independents, down half a point to 8 per cent.

The Newspoll is a telephone poll of 1155 voters taken from Friday to Sunday.

The Roy Morgan poll is an SMS and face-to-face poll of 3068 voters taken over the past two weekends.